In this time of confinement, we are more inactive, we have less calorie expenditure and we run the risk of abusing a bad diet.
Remaining inactive and spending many hours sitting down can lead us to develop muscle pain and contractures.
In addition, those who already suffer from a previous back pathology, such as hernias, should be especially careful.
Although at home we have neither space nor resources, such as those we can have in a sports center, there are various alternatives for exercising at home and activating our musculature and
neuromusculoskeletal system.
However, a simple search for exercise routines on the Internet can play a dirty trick on us if we follow the recommendations of an amateur.
For how long?
We should not, in any case, overdo it. We must listen to our body and if any kind of discomfort appears, we must stop immediately to avoid causing more damage.
The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week. With 30 minutes throughout the day could be enough if we incorporate a routine of walking at home, going up or down stairs carefully or using the back of a chair to make movements for our legs and hips.
Physical activity should comprise around 60% aerobic work, 30% strength and the remaining 10% stretching and technical work.
It is best to spread the exercise routine over the five days of the week. You can work each day a part of the body, walk and do some other cardiovascular exercise such as jumping or skipping rope, abdominal series or funds on the floor.
What are the most common injuries?
The most common are usually minor injuries such as muscle overloads or tendinopathies due to excessive repetitions or weight. It is common to suffer from basic stiffness when exercising without control, muscle pain due to overload or lumbago.
If we perform prolonged physical activity at home, dodging chairs and turning every few meters, we are over-stressing the hip, knee and ankle joints. In this way, developing an intense effort can lead us to suffer discomfort.
The bad or excessive use of cell phones, tablets and laptops, even before the confinement could be the cause of many cervicalgia, now with the confinement leads us to force the posture of the muscles of the neck and fall into the so-called “text neck syndrome”.
Can I run at home?
Running down the corridor and turning sharply to return to jogging causes tensions that can lead to injury.
Therefore, when we reach the end of our training zone, it is advisable to slow down, turn slowly and walk back to the starting point where we will turn again to face a new stretch of running. In this way we reduce tension and damage.
Self-stretching exercises
- Move the neck slowly, bringing the ear close to the shoulder.
- Turning the head also implies turning the neck, so doing so to the left and right, going progressively further and further away, will relieve cervical tension.
- Stand up and raise your arms above your head, trying to stretch as much as possible by breathing in (taking in air at the top).
- You can also include the variant of lateral inclination of the trunk. With the arms up and in maximum inspiration, perform lateral tilt movements on both sides of the body, also slowly and maintaining the tension for about 10-15 seconds.
- Squatting makes it easier to move the large joints of the lower limb and also serves to stretch the muscles of the lumbar spine.